This is an exciting
time for music educators, as the meeting of the largest organization in our
field—the
ISME world conference—is
approaching in mid-July, hosted virtually from Queensland, Australia. For this meeting, I will be giving presentations in
three sessions, one of which I will chair/organize.
“Seeing Through a Wider Lens: Revisionist History in Music Education,” Chair: Craig Resta. Panelists: Marie McCarthy, David Hebert, Benon
Kigozi.
Abstract
Looking at historical events is one
way to better comprehend how prior actions can influence future progress. Often
our narratives about the past have been framed through certain lenses that may
not reflect the realities of the time, or the perspectives of today. As a
result, there are people and histories and happenings that have untold stories
needing more attention. A primary idea of this panel is to discuss
definitions of revisionist history, why it matters, and innovative approaches
to understanding who we are, how we move ahead, and how to make progress
towards social justice as dialogue and practice in the field
.
Examples might be women in music
education, international perspectives, LGBT issues and music teaching,
marginalized populations, ethnicity and race, sociocultural influences
connected to musical experiences, critical pedagogies and practices, cultural
understandings, and diversity and pluralism in numerous settings. Others may be
technology aspects, policy, reform, and institutional protocols, nationalism
and musicological studies, and so on. Further viewpoints include how historical
events play out in our profession, examples from the literature, and potential
impacts on music teaching and learning in multiple countries and circumstances.
This participatory discussion
will tackle these issues representing viewpoints and perspectives from North
America, Europe, Middle East, Scandinavia, Africa, and Asia. Scholars on the
panel include those from the United States, Ireland, Norway, Israel, and
Uganda. While more history needs to be done generally in music education, there
can be even more attention to ideas and people and happenings that many of us
do not know today. Aside from the historical events themselves, is the
important discussion of history, and how we think and do it in practical
context. What is our purpose in historical inquiry and reflection, and how can
the outcomes make the musical experiences of those around us better?
“Musical Communication with China: An International Dialogue,”
by Jiaxing Xie and David Hebert
Abstract:
How does music
enable intercultural communication and dialogue in education? From a
traditional Chinese perspective, music is composed of three levels: form,
function, and metaphysical dimensions. Musical communication and dialogue are
thereby believed to originate from these three levels, which may serve as a
framework for understanding interactions with the West. By the year 1600 Mateo
Ricci had performed western music in China, but it was only since the 1840s
that Western music began to profoundly influence Chinese music culture with
varying intensity according to the evolving sociopolitical situation. Across
generations, Chinese musicians have actively participated and reflected on the
three delineated levels, but after nearly 200 years of intensifying musical
“communication” how much do most Western people understand about Chinese music,
even during this “information age”? We will examine specific cases of
interaction between Chinese and Western musicians that have sought to improve
intercultural understanding, and reflect on ways of evaluating the educational
and social impact of such endeavors. Our account will take into consideration
the arguments of notable Chinese international relations scholars, including
Xiaoying Qi and Yaqing Qin, as well as perspectives of musicologists from China
and other countries. One important development in this area was the
establishment of institutions for learning Chinese musical instruments in
Europe, but we note that enthusiasm for Western music in China has generally
been stronger than enthusiasm for Chinese music abroad. When it comes to
musical collaboration between China and Norway, for instance, we identify
specific phases of development (e.g. 2000-2009, 2010-2019, etc.). In our view,
robust intercultural exchange in music requires not only performances and
symposia, but also in-depth dialogues, including co-authored publications of
the kind that we are developing across years of collaboration
.
“Ready to Conduct Historical Research?:
Dialogue with Mentors.” Chair: David Hebert;
Panelists: Marie McCarthy, Jane Southcott, Phillip Hash, Benon Kigozi, Robin
Stevens, Craig Resta, and Casey Gerber
Abstract:
The purpose of this meeting is to provide an open session for mentoring
of early-career scholars and doctoral students. All ISME participants
interested in historical research in music education are warmly welcomed to the
session for discussion of their project concepts. Distinguished historians and
mentors have agreed to participate in this session, including Marie McCarthy,
Jane Southcott, Phillip Hash, Benon Kigozi, Robin Stevens, Craig Resta, and
Casey Gerber. The session is chaired by David Hebert. The mentors will offer
advice regarding previous studies as well as appropriate theoretical and
methodological approaches. In addition to an opportunity for mentoring, this
meeting also offers a chance to discuss future projects of the ISME History
Standing Committee.
Public domain image from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo#/media/File:Didgeridoo_(Imagicity_1070).jpg
.jpg)
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1446-3893
